Archive for September, 2011

Sam Madison, one of the greatest defensive players in team history, joins us to reflect on his Dolphins career; discuss the qualities that make a great NFL cornerback; and give his thoughts on playing and living in New York. A four-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro selection with Miami, Madison also helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII over the New England Patriots and currently works in broadcasting as a member of The Finsiders.

Stay tuned for “What’s Your Fantasy – Week 4″ at the conclusion of the interview.

The Dolphins are off to an 0-3 start following a heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post joins us to talk about the team’s future. The topics up for discussion include conservative and questionable play-calling; continued defensive breakdowns and poor chemistry between Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall; and the status of the coaching staff and front office.

Last week, DolfansNYC attended Web Weekend, an annual event hosted by the Miami Dolphins for the team’s top fan websites. Prior to Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, Coach Tony Sparano addressed the crowd and spoke about a number of key topics, after which we he took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for our podcast.

Below are the main portions from the group Q&A, followed by our exclusive one-on-one interview with Coach Sparano, in which he talks about his football playing career, the decision behind hiring offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and his thoughts on New York and DolfansNYC.

On under-the-radar players to watch for:

I think a guy that you should watch out for, predicated on what Iâ€™ve seen throughout training camp â€“ and I donâ€™t like singling any players out, as Iâ€™m sure you guys know â€“ Iâ€™ll tell you that Reshad Jones is a guy I would watch. Â Â This guy had 13 tackles (against the Patriots), and has had a really good training camp, has really good range and ball skills back there.Â I think heâ€™s a guy that could have a really good year as a young player for us.

Iâ€™m hoping that Jared Odrick will continue to get better.Â He needs to play, and he obviously hasnâ€™t played in a long time.Â So, Jared would be a guy that I would say the same thing about. Â And then maybe a young guy like Daniel Thomas.

On the roster decision-making process:

The first thing we identify, is where the need is â€“ obviously, just because thereâ€™s a player out there, he might not satisfy our needs at that particular time.Â There were a lot of good players out there when free agency hit at the end of the lockout, but we had a particular plan in mind, knowing what we had coming back and knowing maybe a little bit about what we needed.

This year, business was done a little bit differently, only because the draft was done before free agency.Â So, in the draft, we got to fill some needs like Clyde Gates, in getting speed, or Mike Pouncey, in finding a center, and Daniel Thomas, in finding a (running) back.Â At that point, it became, â€œokay, weâ€™ve got Daniel Thomas â€“ whatâ€™s the next piece?Â Well, thereâ€™s this Reggie Bush that might be out there.â€Â That was a scenario there where (it was) a hunch on our part, only because Reggie had made a lot of money where he was, (and could have been) a cap casualty.Â And we had all of those things â€“ our scouting department has a list of players that we think are going to be released, a list of players that are free agents, and potential cap casualties.Â And this was a scenario where we were able to get a good player in that situation and bring him to our team.

But the way the process works, is identifying the problem first, then Jeff (Ireland) and I will sit down and go over the possibilities.Â Weâ€™ll have what we call a â€œshort list,â€ a list of players in that area, that weâ€™ll start putting together, weâ€™ll go through, and if we feel like thereâ€™s a chance that we can strike a deal with somebody there that might be a good deal for us, then weâ€™ll push towards that.Â So, itâ€™s mutual, both of us together, but most of the time, itâ€™s about me bringing a need first.

On his thoughts about bringing back the Wildcat:

No, no real thoughts about the Wildcats right now.

The reason the Wildcat originated, was that at that particular time, we didnâ€™t have the personnel that we have on our football team right now.Â You look at Brandon Marshall, and Davone Bess, and Brian Hartline, and Clyde Gates, and Reggie Bush, and (Anthony) Fasano, and these types of people that you can get the football to â€“Â we didnâ€™t have that necessarily; we had Ronnie (Brown) and Ricky (Williams) at the time.Â So, (with) Ronnie and Ricky, how can we get them on the same field at the same time and maybe get the ball in their hands enough times? Â That was kind of the reason why we went with something like that.Â I donâ€™t know that the Wildcat is something that weâ€™re really too interested at this time.

(After audience applauds) You werenâ€™t clapping way back when â€“ it was genius at that point.

On the biggest difference in Chad Henne this season:

I would say that the biggest difference isnâ€™t necessarily in Chad â€“ the difference is in how the team perceives Chad.Â Chad is the same Chad that I know from the previous years.Â The difference is, if the lockout was good for anything from my end, as a football coach, the lockout was good because Chad had to be out there running these workouts on his own. Â He had the keys to the closet and he was the only guy that really knew about the offense, contrary to popular belief out there.Â The players needed him â€“ they had to come to him for the answers.Â So, in these player-only workouts that took place out there, Chad had all the answers for them, so obviously he got them lined up, he organized the practices, he did everything from that standpoint.Â So now, when Chad says something, it isnâ€™t, â€œwell, let me go find somebody else to get the answer,â€ itâ€™s, â€œI got it, Chad.â€Â At the quarterback position, he drives the bus, and at the end of this thing, it really sets on his shoulders.Â So he needs to have that respect, and I think that Chad clearly has the respect right now.

As many of you may know, Inside the NFL‘s cameras were at Third and Long, the home of DolfansNYC, filming during Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Susannah Collins visited several New York bars that catered to out-of-town sports fans, and interviewed a few members of DolfansNYC for the segment. It aired on TV last night and will re-air in the coming days, so check your local listings to find it on Showtime. Check out the video below or on the Showtime Sports website.

We have too many great guests on the podcast this week â€“Â make sure to check back here and toÂ subscribe on Â iTunes â€“Â to record “What’s Your Fantasy,” so here are the players I recommend starting, benching and thinking about for Week 3.

You probably wish you'd started me in your fantasy league.

I’m Sorry… I’ll admit that I was completely wrong about Cam Newton, and in effect, Steve Smith. Â I still have no idea how a quarterback who completed 42% of his passes against second-tier defenses in the preseason can up his completion percentage to 63% and throw for over 400 yards in two straight games, but consider Newton as a top-10 QB option for the rest of the year and obviously continue to ride Smith’s hot streak.

Players to Start:

Ryan Fitzpatrick is a borderline must-start against the New England Patriots, who’ve allowed opposing QBs to throw for nearly 400 yards and two TDs per game. Â The Bills will almost surely be playing catch-up all game, which should allow Fitzy to continue posting great fantasy numbers.

Ben Tate has now put together back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, and faces New Orleans in what projects to be a shootout. Â Arian Foster, who missed practice today, may still get some carries, but Tate is a rock-solid number two RB against a Saints defense that has given up 18 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.

Mike Williams (Bucs) had just one catch for -4 yards last week. Â It might be hard to trust him every week, but he’ll go up against a Falcons defense that was justÂ shreddedÂ by Jeremy Maclin for 13 catches and 171 yards. Â Start Williams as a number two WR and expect a nice bounce-back performance.

Players to Bench:

Joe Flacco struggled mightily against theÂ TennesseeÂ Titans, completing just 15-of-32 passes for 197 yards, one TD and two INTs. Â While he has Ray Rice on potentially long screen plays, Flacco shouldn’t be in starting lineups against a Rams defense that has allowed less than 200 passing yards per game.

Felix Jones dislocated his shoulder last week, and even though he finished the game in a harness, there’s a good chance he won’t carry a full load against the Redskins. Â He’s a poor flex option even if he ends up starting this week.

Reggie Wayne has retained much of his value despite Peyton Manning’s absence, but it’s very hard to trust him â€“ or rather, Kerry Collins â€“Â against the Steelers. Â Pittsburgh has allowed just 84 yards per game to opposing WRs, reducing Wayne to more of a flex option or third WR this week.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s home loss to the Houston Texans, Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post joins us to break down the reasons behind the Miami Dolphins’ early struggles. The topics up for discussion include poor red zone execution and Chad Henne’s miscues; the backfield split between Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush; and defensive adjustments.

With the Dolphins facing off against the Houston Texans on Sunday, DolfansNYC collaborated with State of the Texans for an in-depth game preview, focusing on the burning topics for each team. We cover the Texans’ offseason; Wade Phillips, Mario Williams and the much-improved defense; the aftermath of the Fins-Patriots game; the match-up problems Reggie Bush and Cameron Wake pose for Houston; and much more.

I wanted to get up the photos from our party Monday before we play more football. We had a great turnout and raised money for charity selling shirts. If you made it out to Third & Long you saw that we had some TV issues with the new HD TV system and we had to watch the first half of the game a few bars down. Luckily everything was fixed and most of us returned to Third & Long for a serious party despite the awful outcome.

This week I hope Third & Long is bumping again even though myself and the other Dolfans NYC team members will be in Miami watching the game. I am sure the die hards will hold it down for us. So come out this week and check out the photos from last week using the slideshow below. Double click on a photo if you want to save and download it.

With Week Two of the NFL season on the horizon, it’s time for another edition of â€œWhatâ€™s Your Fantasy,” where I break down the players to start, bench, and think about for your fantasy football lineup.Â On the heels of a solid opening week, my recommendations include rolling with one of the most maligned quarterbacks in the league; sitting last week’s top wide receiver; and picking up a couple of newly-minted starters.

As always, weâ€™ve got music and a touch of humor for your listening pleasure. Go Fins!

The Miami Dolphins will be making TWO trips to New York this season, and DolfansNYC is organizing outings for both games! Below are the details. If you’re interested, please send an e-mail to dolfansnyc@gmail.com with the following info:

1.) Your name
2.) Your e-mail address
3.) Which game(s) you are interested in.
4.) How many tickets you will need. (if interested in both games, please list out separately).
5.) If you are interested in the Phins @ Giants game, please let us know if you will want Option 1 or Option 2.

Dolphins @ Jets – Monday, Oct. 17th at 8:30pm

Unfortunately, we will not be coordinating transportation because it is a Monday Night game, and most people won’t be able to leave work in time to get to the stadium and tailgate.

HOWEVER, we will work on organizing a BYO tailgate as we have in past years, where we e-mail out our location and get everyone together who is there early to hang out before the game.

The price for the Upper Level seats will be $100 per ticket. Yes, it’s upper level, but you’ll still be able to see everything, and remember, the goal here is to get as many of us in the same section as possible. Depending on the numbers, it looks like we can make that happen (if we have a TON of people, we may have to split into two sections, but you’ll still be sitting with a big group of Dolphins fans).

Dolphins @ Giants – Sunday, Oct. 30th at 1:00pm

We have 2 options for this game:

OPTION 1 = Game ticket only – Upper Level = Around $140 per ticket
OPTION 2 = Game ticket + transportation to and from the game + tailgate snacks = Around $185 per person (if we have enough people interested in this option, then we will definitely make this happen).

Pick-up will be at the home of DolfansNYC, 3rd and Long on 3rd Avenue and 35th Street.